Heritage Museum to house tourism office
05.09.2011, 05:13
In an effort to attract more visitors to the Downeast Heritage Museum, the Calais center of the state-run Maine Tourism Association will move its office and materials into the museum lobby.
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The tourism center will open in mid-June in the museum, the showcase of the city’s downtown revitalization.
Located now in a small building 200 yards from the museum, the tourism operation serves Down East as the outreach center for the state Office of Tourism. About 20,000 people each year stop by the center to pick up free material on hundreds of Maine attractions and tourism-related businesses.
Those 20,000 people will be welcome in the Downeast Heritage Museum. In its first season, the museum drew disappointing numbers.
The attendance figures should grow this year, museum Executive Director Jim Thompson said Sunday.
"The museum opened last May in anticipation of the 400th anniversary of the St. Croix settlement celebration," said Thompson, who replaced the museum’s previous director last fall. "But the marketing hadn’t really been done, and things weren’t ready. It was rushed. Sure, it was open, but gee, it made for some extra challenges. We are tying up those loose ends now."
The museum’s board of directors gathered earlier this spring to talk about ways to bring more people to the $6 million facility that opened 12 months ago with high expectations. Originally called the Downeast Heritage Center, its name was changed this month to define its function better.
Getting the Maine Tourism Association within the museum’s building is one of the ideas that emerged from the directors’ meeting. Thompson sought approval from Gov. John Baldacci three weeks ago, and Office of Tourism representatives arrived to check out the possibilities.
"It makes a lot of sense," Thompson said. "It neatly fits the governor’s new rural tourism development policies."
Vicki Farrell, the Maine Tourism Association’s Calais Center manager, looks forward to moving the tourism materials into the space that is now the museum’s gift shop.
"It’s a good fit," she said.
Visitors will see a new exhibit this summer, "Living with the Land," the fourth and final permanent exhibit at the museum. Its opening was delayed by a budget shortfall and the need for staff to work on it over the winter.
Arielle Raff, the museum’s program director, was the exhibit’s principal researcher. She asked Washington County and Charlotte County (New Brunswick) families to come forward with ways they have been involved with the land, forests, rivers and lakes.
Old tools and images from lumber camps are among the displays.
"This exhibit is a direct connection to communities," Raff said. "It has great support, and it’s a way for people to feel involved with the museum."
"Living with the Land" will be unveiled in time for the July 1-4 weekend that captures both Canada Day and the Fourth of July.
"People will see a lot of themselves when they visit there," Thompson said.
The museum formally opened for the summer on Saturday, although in a "snoozy" way, Thompson concedes. A broader marketing push will take place once the last of the exhibits opens.
"Living with the Land" will complement the museum’s three other permanent exhibits, all dedicated to local themes, including the settlement of St. Croix Island, "Living with the Sea," and "People of the Dawn," the history of the Passamaquoddy Tribe.
Several interactive displays, including a touch tank with sea creatures, are popular with young visitors.
The Downeast Heritage Museum is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. seven days a week See the museum’s Web site, www.downeastheritage.org, or call 454-7878 for information.